Istaboa's Cruise 2007

Home is where the boat is...

2009-03-13T09:08:00.008-04:00

Hey folks, It's Radar.

We have a new blog. If you care to click here (Istaboa's Waypoints) you will be redirected to that site. It's now 2012 and we have gone from Tennessee to the Exumas, the Chesapeake, and back to Florida. Now our plans are to go back up the east coast to see America. Places we have never seen before.
Life is good.

Hope you enjoy.

Radar

The end of Istaboa's Cruise 2007

2008-01-17T12:10:00.001-05:00

I finally got around to finishing up the blog for the year.

After coming back from our Tennessee River Cruise, we just did normal holiday things.

And worked!

Since then we have brought Istaboa back down the Tenn-Tom and been stuck in Mobile.

Orange Beach that is...

Though Orange Beach, AL is a nice place to be stuck, family issues sadly forced us to delay our trip to the Yucatan until next year.

So, as far away as we ventured was Pensacola, FL.

Family and friends have made up for our disappointment.

I haven't started the layout yet but I will start writing and posting pics again at a new address.

http://istaboawaypoints.blogspot.com/

So... from the crew of Istaboa... Melonie, Radar, and Bob

Goodbye for now.

PS... We are at Dog River Marina in Mobile. Sonny Middleton, the owner and operator has been selling fuel at his cost. Just to help us cruising types keep cruising. So if you're in the area and need service... Call Dog River! they are the best.

Thanks Sonny

Going home for the Holidays

2007-11-25T15:32:00.002-05:00

A beautiful sunrise as we leave... Then the weather starts to turn as the day goes on.
By that afternoon we had a full-blown storm with lightning and winds gusting to 40mph.
But it moves on after a while and turns into a beautiful afternoon.

On giving thanks

2007-11-23T10:17:00.000-05:00

Obviously we all enjoy our computers or we wouldn't be blogging or reading said blogs. So during this holiday season maybe we should share this technology and experience the joy of unselfishly giving without feeling the gratification of personally seeing the smiles our gifts bring.

This article explains it all clearly... Click here

One learning child. One connected child. One laptop at a time.
The mission of One Laptop Per Child (OLPC) is to empower the children of developing countries to learn by providing one connected laptop to every school-age child. In order to accomplish our goal, we need people who believe in what we’re doing and want to help make education for the world’s children a priority, not a privilege. Between November 12 and November 26, OLPC is offering a Give One Get One program in the United States and Canada. During this time, you can donate the revolutionary XO laptop to a child in a developing nation, and also receive one for the child in your life in recognition of your contribution. One learning child. One connected child. One laptop at a time.

You probably have heard about this cause but if you haven't, read here about the OLPC (One Laptop per Child). We truly believe this is a wonderful program and a lot of people and organizations have put tons of money and effort into this.

Giving thanks for the wonderful life that working in the technology industry has given us... We think this is an exceptional idea for a gift that will keep giving.

After reading the articles... Think of the possibilities!

Happy days

Happy Thanksgiving

Joe Wheeler Park and Marina

2007-11-18T13:31:00.000-05:00

In the early morning light.

The color

2007-11-14T21:58:00.001-05:00

Woke up early on this cool and clear morning. Took the camera with me while I walked Radar and got a few pics of the color around Joe Wheeler State Park. Caught this little guy watching the sun come up.
The color at the park was even better than on first stay a week ago.

Happy days

The Eagles

2007-11-14T21:41:00.000-05:00

Not much to say about the eagles... Saw a few off in the distance and as we worked the boat over closer to them they seemed annoyed and flew away. The light was not good so the shots are a little blurry. It's really nice that we have eagles on the Tennessee all year long. Good sign the river is getting cleaner.

This guy gave me moment to snap a few off but then....
He too took off.

Happy days

On the way home

2007-11-14T20:10:00.000-05:00

So it's a beautiful morning as we leave Hales Bar and start our way back home. The fresh early light makes Painted Bluff glow. And the closer we get the more it glows...
The colors are really amazing...
Then we see our first Eagle. He's off in the distance so the pic is a little fuzzy.
Then as we round the bend toward Goose Pond Marina the sky changes
The wind picks up and the makings of a storm are in the air.

Chattanooga Downtown

2007-11-13T18:13:00.001-05:00

Finally bandwidth!! Downtown Chattanooga is always fun. Plenty to do. Restaurants, museums, Imax theater, and not just a great aquarium but two great aquariums. The folks in Chattanooga seem to be very laid back and nice. Memphis and Nashville could take a lesson or two from these folks when it comes to hospitality.
Radar does his glamour shot at the steps in front of the water cannons. He is quite a natural at this... we do not pose him... we just wait until he is ready for his picture to be taken.

and this is just a weird picture of an old wooden sailboat. Has nothing to do with anything I just liked the color and patina of the old wood.

While here we met a very nice couple. They docked behind us at the downtown marina.

Robert, Dana, and their dog Bristol. They were on a very pretty Fountain boat and we struck up a conversation about our friend, David, from Pier 57 Fountain Sales at Pickwick. The dogs also became great friends and had a big time chasing each other around the water front. Nice folks, nice night.

Sunday morning brought brunch and a cruise back down the Gorge to Hales Bar. Friends and In-Laws (or Out-laws) Frattatas and Mimosas were consumed... Music was by Allison Krauss and Union Station... and a good time was had by all.

Well as luck would have it-- work did call us back-- so we have been pushing hard to get home.

Next up: Eagles, color, and a storm or two.

Happy days

The run to Chattanooga

2007-11-09T18:09:00.000-05:00

So after hangin out at Guntersville Yacht Club, which is a very friendly and unpretentious club, we left early to head for NickaJack Lake and Hales Bar Marina where Rod and Mary Lee (friends and in laws) are staying. It was cold but a beautiful ride. The trees were almost perfect.
You have to click on each pic to see how vivid the colors were.
We will stay here for a day and move on to Chattanooga.

Happy days

On to Guntersville

2007-11-09T12:22:00.001-05:00

Today was a long run. 90 miles and a lock- so we got an early start. The sun was just rising as we left Joe Wheeler Marina. A couple of other boats left at about the same time and followed us the whole way. It is best to travel in groups when having to negotiate with the locks. There is power in numbers and when 3 or 4 pleasure boats are scattered around the lock's arrival point the Tow Boat Captains, who have priority over us, usually tells the lockmaster to go ahead and lock us up. To get us out of his way I am sure.
Our fellow cruisers with Painted Bluff in the background. About mile marker 348. Very close to Redstone Arsenal in Huntsville, Alabama. This is where the first missles used in space launches were built and tested. Also the home of Nasa's Space camp
After we lock up we make the bend and I always take a picture of this tree stand. The contrasting colors are very appealing to me.

We are almost done for the day. Guntersville Yacht Club will be our stay.

Still waiting for work to call us back- but so far so good.

Happy days

Joe Wheeler State Park

2007-11-05T10:01:00.000-05:00

The colors are a blazing at Joe Wheeler. This is a nice quiet little marina just a couple of miles from the lock. This day's run was a short one. It only took us 3 hours and we had two locks.

We always wait until November to do our fall cruise. It's a little cooler but the colors are better and the marinas are less crowded. This marina was totally booked last weekend by the folks of the AGLCA (America's Great Loop Cruiser's Association). These cruisers come from everywhere in all kinds of boats. Primarily retired folks who want some adventure in their lives along with the camaraderie of like minded individuals. It's quite a trip. Read the link above.

Istaboa at Joe Wheeler State Park

This weekend it was pretty quiet. But there were a few cruisers out.

The above pic is our friend Sam from Pickwick. He's a Yacht Broker for Jim Bennett Yacht Sales.

On this day he and his four legged first mate were locking up with us and heading to Chattanooga to deliver a new boat.

Still no messages from Memphis so... Tomorrow we head further upstream to Guntersville, Alabama.

Happy days

The Tennessee River Fall Color Cruise

2007-11-04T09:29:00.000-05:00

So last Saturday we decided we had waited long enough... Business may make us turn around and head back to Memphis at any time--but-- at the last minute we threw caution to the wind and took off cruising up the river. So far so good. Nothing out of Memphis yet. On the first leg we go to Florence, Alabama. This day folks were not happy in Alabama because of their last minute loss to LSU's football team.
It was a beautiful day as you can tell in the above picture of the sailboat with it's Spinnaker out. Nice colors.

Then oddly enough we were strafed by two Army Helicopters.
Up in Panther Cove we spot this pretty little boat. We have since seen her again. "Gatsby"

We tie up at Florence Harbor Marina for the night and kick back to watch the new Tom Petty and the Heart Breakers DVD. Runnin down a dream. It was great. 4 hours long-- so we only watch half.

The next day brings Joe Wheeler State Park Marina.

Happy days

(finally cruisin again)

Recap of Winter/Spring/Summer 2007

2007-10-30T12:31:00.000-04:00

I have been asked by a friend who is about to embark on the same trip to do a quick summary of our last cruise. It took us almost six months so this may not be quick but it will be a summary.

It all started in mid February which put us leaving Pickwick in the ice and cold. We actually broke ice entering the Tennessee-Tom Bigbee Waterway. But other than being cold it was actually a pretty nice trip. Not many Tow Boats to pass makes for a less stressful Waterway run.
We made it to Demopolis, Alabama fairly quickly because the current was adding an extra 2 to 3 miles per hour to our cruising speed. While in Demopolis we met a couple of guys on a Nordic Tug. Annie Jo followed us through the very dense fog that morning and tied up along side of us at Bobby's fish camp.
We got a late start leaving Bobby's because of fog but we finally got to the lock and locked down. Then we found it was even foggier than before.
Oh well... It was what it was.
Thank God for Chartplotters, Radars, and Radios. Another incredibly useful tool in the fog was AIS. (Automatic Identification System) This system will actually show a Commercial Vessel's position as well as name, speed, and direction... all on my chartplotter. This was very helpful in the low visibility situation we were in.
We stayed a night in David Lake which is just a cut off of the waterway. It's shallow but you're out of the way of tow traffic and protected from weather. It's about mile marker 49.
The next day the waterway run was near the end. This trip was not so bad except for the fog. We only had to overtake one Tow Boat and that was in a bend where he had all but stopped.
Now Mobile... Finally We had made good time so we decided to run across the Bay and stay in Orange Beach at the Wharf Marina for a couple of days to rest up after the 5 day waterway run.
Then on to Destin Florida. It was a very nice cruise on the GCICW and we tied up at Baytowne Marina where we met up with old friends and had a wonderful dinner.
The next day we shoved off and headed for Panama City where we spent a few nights at Baypoint Marina. Then head east for Apalachicola to wait for good seas to cross the Gulf of Mexico. We had a great time there.
Then the crossing.... It was beautiful!
The next day we had the West Coast of Florida in sight and I called the Crow's Nest Marina to confirm reservations and to give them my ETA. We made it right on schedule.
After a night we made way for Boca Grand cut and Charlotte Harbor. We always run all the way across to Burnt Store marina.
Next stop is Naples and Naples City Dock. The Gulf was behaving on this run which made for a great cruise and we arrived at Gordon's Pass on a beautiful Sunday afternoon. We stay at Naples for a couple of days.
On the run run down to the Key's and Marathon... Florida Bay was not quite so friendly.
But this day ends with a beautiful sunset behind 7 mile bridge.
Marathon is our favorite place in the Key's; so we stay here for a few days before heading back north up Hawks Channel on the east coast of Florida. This run north got a bit sloppy so we tucked in behind Rodriquez Key and finished up the Stone Crabs leftover from Marathon. The next morning at daybreak we made way for Fort Lauderdale.
Ft Lauderdale on a weekend is like a yacht traffic jam. Boats everywhere! Courtesy? Not so much.
We end up staying at Ft Lauderdale longer than we expected. But Bahia Mar is a nice place to be stuck. After a couple of weeks we thought we were finally leaving Florida and heading for the Bahamas but weather changes everything. We were invited to an interesting party at the marina-- So we wait another day.
So on this day we set off for West End Bahamas. It was a bit rough but not bad for us humans... the pups didn't agree though.
We stay at Old Bahama Bay for a few days where we catch up with old acquaintances and let the pups run around. Finally back in the islands.
The next stop was Spanish Wells. We had thought of anchoring at Great Sale but we were making great time so we pushed on futher.
The next day started early and we made the short little hop to Green Turtle Cay and Bluff House Marina. This was Easter Sunday.
Next stop was Marsh Harbour--- The Big City.
Here we always stay at Harbour View Marina where Troy and his crew always take good care of us. It was time for us to move on to Elbow Cay and Sea Spray Marina but Mother Nature thought different. The winds wouldn't ease so we stayed put and enjoyed ourselves in the city.
On the next good day our friend and Sea Spray harbor master called to tell us our slip was vacant and ready for us. We made the run to Elbow Cay on a high tide and eased into White Sound without a hitch.
We didn't realize it at the time but this would be our home for the next 6 weeks. We became quite familiar with the little island. Radar was known at all the restaurants and bars. The nights on Elbow Cay are as much fun as the days. Fireworks, Sea Spray Saturday Nights, and Elbow Cay Sunrises. Oh yea... Junkanoo!!
On the days the wind allowed us to go out on the Sea of Abaco to play we dinked over to Tahiti Beach or to Pete's Pub. I went snorkling off Sandy Cay with friends.
There are a lot of Sport Fish boats at Sea Spray and they are all good about sharing their catch.
We really enjoy our little peice of paradise on Elbow Cay...Here's a shot of the Marina
But all good things must end and our final day finally came.
This is a shot of our friends at Sea Spray
Then because of weather and time we aborted our plans to head to the Eleuthera and the Exumas and turned around and backtracked the way we came.
It was a great trip and Istaboa performed wonderfully. What a nice home in the islands.
We won't go into the trip home but it was most enjoyable and the weather was beautiful.
I must put in a link to Pensacola though...
We hope you have enjoyed our 2007 cruise summary.

Bob, Mel and Radar... and the spirit of Sadie.

Happy Days

Next week we do the Tennessee River Fall Cruise again.

Another beautiful weekend on the Tennessee

2007-10-03T13:36:00.000-04:00

On this weekend we did something a little different than our usual ---hang out on the boat, read, do chores, and boat ride--- Our friends and dock neighbors, Mike and Janie who own Abracadabra, have just taken possession of their new plane. They offered to take us flying and we took them up on it. We have never flown over the lake in anything other than a commercial jet and it's truly beautiful at low altitudes. The day was perfectly clear and the ride was awesome.
The leaves are just starting to turn as you can see from this shot above Bear Creek heading north.
We buzzed Aqua Yacht Harbor
This is the beginning or the end (however you want to look at it) of the TennTom Waterway.
Then we buzzed Mike's and Janie's home before returning to the Savannah, TN airport.
What a great day! Thanks Mike and Janie -- and congratulations on the Babester. She's a gorgeous airplane.

Next post will be for you boaters who are techie types. We have been rebuilding the computer navigation system in Istaboa and when we finally nail it down we will post it. Some of you may enjoy it if you're into that sort of thing. No pretty pictures (unless you like computers and wires)

Happy Days

Good day for a boat ride

2007-09-16T11:14:00.000-04:00

The weather has finally changed. We got some rain and this weekend the temps were in the high 70's. Beautiful!
So beautiful in fact that we decided to make a run to the lake and take Istaboa out for a spin. We motored down to Waterloo, Alabama where thousands of motorcycles were ending the annual Trail of Tears run. It's about a 15 mile ride to Waterloo then we decided to head back to the State Park for the really big festivities. All in all about a 35 mile day. Nice little ride on this beautiful day. This weekend was the Tennessee River Run weekend. This is quite an event for the locals. Sponsored by the favorite son of Pickwick, Darryl Worley, who donates the proceeds to many good causes in the area.
For the River Run Video... Click here

They have the stage set up close to shore so the boaters in the area drop anchors and listen to the music. Besides Darryl, there was several other country acts including Charlie Daniels.
As you see... a good time was had by all.

Till next time...

Happy days

Normality

2007-08-25T09:35:00.000-04:00

I seem to be quoting Mark Twain a lot these days. I relate to the iconoclastic old southern riverboat captain... He grew up on the river not far from Memphis and he also loved hoppin on a boat and traveling to his favorite places. He once wrote in a letter to a friend, "There is no unhappiness like the misery of sighting land (and work) again after a cheerful, careless voyage." and God knows we felt that way leaving the islands and returning home.
But... Home is our favorite place to come home to and work furnishes us with the most excellent justification to escape to that cheerful, careless voyage - again.

Things are getting back to normal for us here at Rocky Point. We're both back in the gym trying to sweat off some of that island fun we consumed while enjoying the Abacos. Kind of a do it yourself rehab. Work is good. It's nice to be back in the saddle and fighting the good fight. (Creating that most excellent justification)

The pain from losing Sadie is getting better and slowly turning into an itch to find a new pup. We're trying to resist but we're not sure if Radar will let us. He's been awfully lonesome.

It's been incredibly hot and dry around Memphis. 100+ degrees for a couple of weeks now. We put out water for the critters in the woods - they really seem to appreciate it.
The deer have become fairly comfortable with us. They're cautious but they don't mind us getting close. We posted earlier about the deer that didn't want to leave Rocky Point. Now we see why. This is her fawn.
We see Lucy (Yeah... Mel named her.) every evening when she brings her fawn by for a drink and a nibble of the freshly watered green grass in our backyard. Radar is our deer alarm... as soon as he spots them he gives a throaty little growl to alert us of their presence.
It's fun watching the little one grow up.

Moving on.....

2007-08-12T19:50:00.000-04:00

Life is what we are living and the past is just that... the past. No matter how dark it gets... the sun will eventually rise and life is good again.

We will miss Sadie and cherish the memories everytime we come across a Sadie hair in the boat. (which is often)

We cannot thank everyone enough for all the nice things that were said about Sadie. She was a sweet, sweet, beautiful girl. We were priviledged to have had her in our lives.

But now it's back to life and planning our next adventure. We are becoming more comfortable and confident with Istaboa so for our next trip we may push the limits a bit.

We are working out the plan now and will keep all our friends posted.

“Twenty years from now, you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.” -- Mark Twain

We love that quote.

Happier days, God bless Sadie (whichever God you prefer)

Bob, Mel, and Radar

Istaboa

Sad times

2007-08-02T11:33:00.000-04:00

It is with very sore hearts that the crew of Istaboa must post the passing of our beloved mate Sadie.
Sadie, the Grande Dame of our family for almost 13 years, has been laid to rest. We hope there is a special heaven for dogs because we know Sadie and Sam, her brother we lost 2 years ago, are running through the woods, fields, and beaches...together once again.
We are thankful she made this last cruise with us and gave us all the warm memories we will cherish forever. We believe it was her big heart and sweet soul that got us all home together.

She was the sweetest dog we have ever been lucky enough to share time with.

Sadie

02-02-1995

07-31-2007

That's all folks

2007-07-12T09:11:00.000-04:00

So that's it... We did what we set out to do.

Left Tennessee, took the waterway down to the Gulf of Mexico, crossed the Gulf, went down to the Keys, up to Ft. Lauderdale, across the Gulf Stream to the Bahamas, across Little Bahama Bank to the Abacos, hung out there and had a great time, then turned around and reversed the whole trip. That's it... The whole rambling trip in one rambling sentence.

A picture taken from inside our sun room of the little deer that doesn't want to leave Rocky Point

It's nice being home and seeing all our friends in Memphis. I have enjoyed being back at work except for having to wear shoes. I may have to go back to wearing flip flops. This could be our new corporate look.

Mary, who was kind enough to keep our house while we were away, has stayed with us for the week. Today she is closing on her new home. Congratulations Mary!

Richard on his horse Little General came by to say hello.

We will probably do another trip this fall. Cruising the beautiful Tennessee river in the fall is always fun.

We have really enjoyed doing this blog and thanks everyone for all the kind comments.

Hopefully, if we are as fortunate as we have been, there will be an Istaboa's cruise 2008.

Here's to everyone's health and happiness,

Bob and Melonie and Radar and Sadie

Happy days...

We have changed the format of the archives to show start to finish. If you care to see how this little sojourn started goto archives and click on Catching Up

So until the next cruise...

That's all folks

The final leg

2007-07-10T07:47:00.000-04:00

On this last day of our trip I woke up early and the weather was beautiful. I took the dogs out for a walk at Bay Springs Marina then quietly untethered Istaboa from the dock and we slowly poked away. Heading home. After a couple of hours Melonie woke up to find we were underway. She took this shot of Radar and Me running the boat then readied things for Grand Harbor Marina.
Soon we passed the last marker on the waterway. It's been a long run up the waterway 450 miles. But this time I have to admit it wasn't so bad. This time of year it's a lot prettier than in the dead of winter or after the ravaging spring floods.
Then we see Grand Harbor. it's really over and we feel like we've won the marathon. Nothing harmed, we have all our fingers and toes, and the boat came through without a scratch. Once again we beat the waterway.

It was nice pulling in. Our good friend and boat neighbor Ben on Lady Sadie was there to help us tie up. We looked at the view from our slip and remembered why we always come back here for hurricane season. Then we broke out the celebratory bottle of champagne and made a toast to Istaboa and to being home. Ben said he had been reading our blog but still wanted to hear some stories. So we told a few unabashed tales of the trip and the new friends we made along the way.

And that was it. We settled back into our normal Pickwick lifestyle. We had dinner with our friends Ruth and Lea and their friends Bob and Emily. It was 4th of July coming up and it was good seeing all our other boat neighbors. But then we decided we would rather be home at Rocky Point in the woods than deal with the crowds at Pickwick on the 4th. So we loaded up the pups and went home.

Happy days

next up: epilogue in pictures

The run to Bay Springs

2007-07-08T05:33:00.000-04:00

Early in the morning when the sun has just come up it paints the waterway in it's fresh light and makes for some beautiful images. These white cliffs reflecting off the mirror like water is one of prettier spots along the way.

The approach to Whitten Lock. The last one.
And when these doors close it's symbolically the end of the locks, the end of the waterway, and the end of Istaboa's cruise. This is where it started... this is where it ends.

We pull into Bay Springs marina to stay the night. It's been only 70 miles but we had to lock 7 times which makes for a long day. We could have made it to Pickwick today but we are still not ready to go home. We will wait one more day.

Next up: Pickwick, home, the end

Columbus Marina

2007-07-06T18:45:00.000-04:00

In an earlier post we mentioned the Fishing tournament. We decided to stick around to try out the new restaurant Chuck had mentioned so we had to endure the crowds that the tournament drew. It was interesting to watch the process of the whole thing. The sponsors of the tournament went to great lenghts to keep the fish alive. Special bags, special fluids to keep the fish in, and a tube to release the fish through. (Unfortunately for the fish it didn't work very well. Later that day after the tournament was over and everyone was gone there were dead Bass floating everywhere.)

We were walking around the marina looking at the facility and the boats when we met this delightful lady. Her name is Mo and she's 72. She and her dog Honey live aboard her boat Motu. She has been a liveaboard for over thirty years. We enjoyed her company and her stories so much we invited her to dinner at Woody's on the Water. It was a great meal and Mo made it even better with her stories of sailing the world. She is heading to Pickwick so we are sure we will see her again.
After dinner we walked the pups and met a few more.

Next up: Almost home... Bay Springs lake.

Demopolis Yacht Basin

2007-07-03T21:42:00.001-04:00

As we left our sailboat friends at Bobby's and made way for Demopolis it was a beautiful day. No wind made the river reflect like a mirror.

We have never seen so many Herons as we saw this year. Maybe it's because we have never done the waterway this late in the summer.

When we left the lock at Demopolis the lockmaster called us on the radio to point our these deer on the bank next to the lock. The lock operators on the waterway are the most courteous, kind, and friendly we have ever dealt with. They go out of their way to be helpful.

We took on fuel and water in Demopolis and ate the best Dominoe's pizza we had ever tasted. (Maybe because we were tired and hungry)

At first light we left Demopolis for Columbus.... a long run... 135 miles and 3 locks

Next up Columbus, MS.... Mo and Honey

Now for page two

2007-07-03T18:23:00.000-04:00

Ok... we've made it back to Pickwick and we're proud to say we did it with no loss of blood. The waterway can be a grueling run if you get in a hurry and because we had spent so much time in the Bahamas we were pushing it kinda hard.

Now to fill in the blanks.

When we left Pensacola we only went as far as Orange Beach, AL. We stayed at the Wharf Marina and had dinner at Ginny Lane's....A very good restaurant.

Woke up at the crack of dawn and pushed out of Bon Secour Bay and into Mobile Bay.
On this day we ran through Mobile and up as far as mile marker 39.2 which is a nice quiet little anchorage. (pictures of the anchorage in the previous post called The Waterway)
We left early to make it to Bobby's Fish Camp and ran through the fog for a while. Finally pulled into Bobby's at around 4:oo. The pups were glad to see grass.

We had passed these sailboaters a couple of times in the last 2 days and now they were coming around the bend heading for Bobby's to spend the night.

Very nice folks.

Jay and Nancy on Serendipity were from Oak Ridge, TN

Lee and Susan aboard Restless from Jonesville, VA.

They had been living aboard for the last 2 years and were heading for home in Tennessee.

Oddly enough another sailboater was already tied up at Bobby's and later when we all started talking we found out Jeff and Elizabeth on Decisive were heading for the same Marina as the other two boats. Blue Springs Marina on Watts Bar lake, The Tennessee River.

We are heading for Memphis tomorrow; the 4th of July. To our home in the dirt and the woods at Rocky Point. We have a lot more story to tell and a lot of nice pics of the waterway. We will post more tomorrow when we have full blown high speed internet.

Happy 4th of July everyone.

Happy days

The Waterway

2007-06-30T08:35:00.000-04:00

The anchorage at Mile 39.2 on the waterway. A storm was threating but it just rained a bit.
Left at first light... but when we rounded the first bend we were socked in by fog. Luckily I ran a track line on my charting software on the the trip down. So... I just followed that line and watched the radar because we could not see a thing.
Soon the sun started up and the wind rose with it. The fog cleared after a few miles.
After a long day's run we arrived at Coffeeville Lock. Had to negotiate with this bird for the pin but he relented.

We are now in Columbus where we found bandwidth so we uploaded a few shots. We will fill in the blanks in a few days so check back with us. we are almost home. Got lots of Waterway pics.

We often stay at Columbus Marina on our trips up and down the Tenntom. So we called Chuck the owner and he told us of a new restaurant on site. We left Demopolis and headed that way.

It's a 135 mile trip and 3 locks so it took all day and luck at the locks. Our luck held out until we got to Columbus where we were hung up for a couple of hours.... but we made it in before dark. We were too tired to go to Chuck's new restaurant but we may stay an exra day and rest up.

As I am posting this I see a http://www.flwoutdoors.com/ truck pulling up. Also a TV van. Guess they're going to have a big Bass Fishing Tournament. So we may not stay. It will become very crowded and we don't know if we are ready for this quite yet.

Next up: Midway or Bay Springs Marina

Mile 39.2.. Bobby's, Demopolis

2007-06-28T21:54:00.001-04:00

We got some nice shots but have no bandwidth to post them with.
We will soon.
The trip has been nice so far. Not too many Tow Boats... Weather has been good except for the occasional afternoon storm. Hit every lock with the doors open. Hope this is a good omen.
The lack of rain has shown it's effects in some of the bends. We have seen 2 ft under the boat a couple of times. But stayed afloat. All's well that ends well.
Happy days

TennTom waterway

2007-06-27T06:21:00.001-04:00

We are at mile marker 40 on the Tenn Tom . Anchored at the Tensaw river cutoff. Can't believe we have a signal.

Music in the park

2007-06-24T10:26:00.001-04:00

On Thurday evenings in Seville Square, Pensacola has a very nice tradition. A local band will play in the gazebo and hundreds of locals of all ages will gather in the park and enjoy the sounds, food, and their neighbor's company on a warm summer's night.
On this night we enjoyed a good jazz/swing band and the folks of Pensacola were dancing in the streets.
We were lucky enough to have been invited by an old Pensacola family, the Bosso's.
Tom and Dottie, Rod and Mary Lee, and Melonie with Eric in the background. A good time was had by all.

Pensacola has been a nice stop on this trip.

But now as bad as we hate to....it's time for us to start heading north.

Next up will be Mobile and the TennTom Waterway.

Then home...

Still draggin' our feet

2007-06-22T10:20:00.000-04:00

We just can't seem to turn Istaboa north to start heading home so we've decided to leave Perdido Key and head over to Palifox marina in downtown Pensacola. But as we were entering the channel and I was hailing Palifox marina I heard on the radio "Istaboa, Istaboa, Coast Guard vessel 43201 calling". I thought it was a mistake and I answered back that I'm calling the marina not the Coast Guard. Then Mel looks back and spots this boat.
They asked if I had ever been boarded by the USCG and I answered no. Their reply was "Well this is your lucky day".

I stopped and they came onboard. They were a training crew and, all except for the Lieutenant, this was their first boarding also. They were very respectful and generally a bunch of nice fellows. They just wanted to do what they had been trained to do. We passed our safety inspection, they said thanks, and that was over.

Now on to Palifox marina.

Next up: Music in the park.

Perdido Key

2007-06-19T10:05:00.000-04:00

We have been at Perdido Key Oyster Bar and Marina for a few days. It's a nice little place right off the ICW. Thank God it's in a well policed no wake zone because every day here is like a boat parade...especially on weekends.

Our Bahamian treasures

We have been having fun and yes that party we felt was comin on... came off.

Rod and Mary Lee, Tom and Dottie, Shannon and Mike, and Eric all came by the boat and later we all went to dinner at a place called Triggers. (If you're ever around here go to Triggers. It's a small local place but man it is good.)

Later we all came back to the boat and had a really large time.

The next day being Father's Day, we all went to Tom and Dottie's home for dinner. It was a feast! Gumbo, Shrimp salad, Chicken Cordon Bleu, and much more. Some of us were a little fuzzier than others but we all had a great time telling old stories and looking at old pictures to back up the stories. Man we were all funny looking back in the 70's and 80's.

Yesterday it rained all day. The folks around here needed it badly and we didn't mind a day off either. We just layed around the boat and watched TV. (Thanks again David for the 2nd season of 24)

Today Craig from the Boatronix office at Pickwick is driving down to do a few things on the boat before we start the long trudge up the TennTom.

Happy days

Panama city

2007-06-18T09:56:00.000-04:00

So here we are at Baypoint Marina in Panama City. We always stop at Baypoint. The marina personel are nice and the food at 30° Blue is incredible. They're going through some changes now as St. Joe paper company has bought them but it seems the changes (so far) are for the better. Hope it stays that way.

We tied up in front of a 53 Marlow motor yacht. A very cool boat and brand new. "Silver Lining"
The captain and his wife were pleasant folks. Bob, Bernie, and their dog Brutus. We enjoyed their company and Bob's stories. They're from Naples where Bob is one of the few natives left. Bob says his claim to fame is he is the only man in North America to have caught an Oarfish. I googled him and low and behold this is his story

Sunset view from 30° Blue

Actually as I am writing this we are back in the Gulf and steaming toward Pensacola. Melonie's brother and Sister in law are live aboards on their boat NoMoYdWk.... I am sure everyone can figure out the meaning of their boat name.

It will be fun to see them again. They did the Abacos with us last year. This year they decided to hang out on the Panhandle with friends from Pensacola.

I feel a big party comin on.

Crossing the Gulf - Panama City: Day two

2007-06-16T09:14:00.000-04:00

This is the way our second night started

As we said in an earlier post, a good crossing is a boring one, and day two was just that. About the only excitement we had was watching a huge storm cell take shape just north of Panama City and of course it was headed in our direction.

We have a computer weather system onboard provided by XM radio and Barons weather (WxWorx) and with a bit of time on our hands watching that turned into our entertainment

But our luck held out and we were able to cut around the storm and go in behind it. So now more boredom.

Meanwhile 80 miles to the northwest, the population of Panama City was getting pounded. Timing is everything.

It's gets very dark out on the Gulf during a moonless night and about all we saw was the occasional shrimp boat. But the stars light up brilliantly and on this dark night they were out in all their glory. The Milky Way looked like an image downloaded from the Hubble Space Telescope.

As we rounded Cape San Blas and made our way northwest toward Panama City things got a little crowded. We had never seen so many blips on the radar. Must have been 50 fishing boats anchored just off the Cape. It was about 4:00 am, tired and a little goofy from lack of sleep, we picked our way through. But again our luck held out and the next thing we saw was good old Sol coming up to start another day. We had timed this to happen just as we were about 10 miles from the sea buoy at Panama City... our timing was right on the money.

We had a couple of milestones on this last day in the Gulf. One being my 55th birthday but more importantly... Radar and Sadie both relieved themselves on the small patch of Astroturf on the aft deck. (now called the poop deck) Woo Hoo!!!

This is a big deal for boaters with dogs. Other folks will probably not understand.

But anyway....

We made the cut into St Andrews Bay, rounded the buoy into Grand Lagoon, then eased through the Baypoint marina channel to tie up. Our first long crossing was over.

It was one of those bitter sweet moments folks talk about. We were happy to be on Terra Firma and really looking forward to sleep but a bit sad because we knew our sea voyaging days had come to an end for a while. We had a cure for this....

At 7:00 am we hosed off the boat, mixed up the celebratory Bloody Mary, and lit my last Cuban cigar. We consumed all that, told a few stories, laughed a lot (from drinkin one of Mel's Bloodies at 7:00 am) and went to bed.

Bitter sweet moment over.

Happy days

Thank God for Dolphins

2007-06-14T19:33:00.000-04:00

We think a good Gulf crossing is an uneventful one and at this point it's been a really good crossing. Not much to do out here... just point at Panama City and keep an eye out for any obstacles. We didn't alter course for well over 400 miles... so not many obstacles.

But when the Dolphins show up it's like old friends stopping by unexpectedly. We're always excited to see them and they actually seem to enjoy us also. They love to play and show off in our bow wave.
Mel likes to go out on the bow and play with them by waving and talking to them. They do play a lot more when she does and when she tires they leave.
It's kinda funny... but when we cruise by them and they're off in the distance they'll quickly sprint over to see us.

Then the show begins

I like it when they look me in the eyes... and they always seem to be smiling.

A few more Dolphin photos here

Happy days

Next up: Crossing the Gulf - Panama City: Day two

leaving Marathon-crossing the Gulf: Day One

2007-06-14T16:41:00.000-04:00

As we motor under 7 Mile bridge at Marathon... This day is beautiful! The seas in Florida Bay are flat, the sun is shining, and it's gonna be a good run.

We do see a dark cloud on the horizon but it's downwind of us and shouldn't be a problem. But if you enlarge the photo above you will see the beginnings of a waterspout. Luckily it didn't develop.
Ole and Radar hangin out on the bow, soakin up rays, and havin a cigar.
And this is the way the day ended.

As the sun sinks into the Gulf we are anticipating a nice night. We are always a little apprehensive during the first few hours of night running. Getting our eyes acclimated, adjusting the electronics, and convincing ourselves that if it's not on the radar, it's not out there... takes a little while. But soon we gain our confidence and later we just become sleepy.

If you like sunset pics like we do click here

Happy days

Backtracking

2007-06-14T08:44:00.000-04:00

We have finished a really nice and interesting leg of our long journey home. Ft. Lauderdale, to Miami, to Marathon, and finally Panama City. We weren't connected very often and we haven't done much posting. So as we are resting up in Panama City we will catch up on our blog.

A typical run out of Port Everglades in Ft Lauderdale.

When we decide to get moving... we get moving. What took us almost a month to do on the way down to Ft. Lauderdale, we did in 4 days on our way back up to the Panhandle.

It was a good trip around the Keys and across the Gulf. The seas were flat for the most part, the sunrises and sunsets were beautiful, even a little weather drama toward the end to keep us awake on the long last night out.

This boat didn't make the cut at Port Everglades.

We left the yacht club on Saturday afternoon to make a short run to Miami. It's a day's cruise down Hawks Channel to Marathon so by leaving from Miami we will be able to arrive at Marathon Marina in the daylight. This way we can give the pups a couple of walks to get them ready for the long 50 hour Gulf crossing coming up.

Leaving Goverment cut in Miami at 0:dark:30; we turn the corner only to be forced to share the inlet with this huge cruise ship.

We stayed at Miami Marina. It's very expensive ($4.00 a foot) and very rolly. None of us cared for it much but because it is located on South Beach we thought we would find a good restaurant. We forgot it was Saturday night and we didn't have reservation anywhere. So it was a forgettable/early night/early start down to the Keys.

Next up: Leaving Marathon and crossing the Gulf of Mexico.

Can't believe we have internet

2007-06-11T21:37:00.000-04:00

We are about 15 miles offshore west of Ft Myers. Can't upload pictures but it's a beautiful night so far.
We will be in Panama City Wednesday morning (my 55th birthday).... Wish us luck.

Happy days

Lauderdale Yacht Club

2007-06-08T18:34:00.000-04:00

We moved from Bahia Mar over to the Yacht Club. Nice place LYC. Our friend Ole is a member and sponsored us in. LYC is an old and very prestigious yacht club not to mention a nice bunch of folks. We have enjoyed our stay here. Click here to learn about the Lauderdale Yacht Club

LYC's version of summer camp. Sailing Camp.
Melonie, Mason, and Karen in front of Istaboa
Two Taylor men on Istaboa's bow
Ole joined us later.

We have really enjoyed Mason's company. It was nice he was able to meet up with us here. We think he enjoyed Ft Lauderdale a lot.

Tomorrow we will leave Ft Lauderdale and head to Miami for a night. Ole is going to do the next leg of our trip. It will be nice having a third crew shift for the long crossing we are planning to do.

Down to Marathon then under 7 mile bridge and head for Panama City. The last leg will be about 500 miles and will take us two days or so to complete. Non-stop. The pups will not like this leg.

Happy days

Back in the land of the free (water that is)

2007-06-05T08:03:00.000-04:00

Back at Bahia Mar (big and rich) Marina

We left West End yesterday at about 7:00 am and plowed through about 15 miles of 4' head seas. Not bad just sloppy. The plan was to head for Palm Beach but after doing the math we decided it would not only be a better ride but also more economical to head further south toward Ft Lauderdale. The Gulf Stream slowed us down a bit but we still made it in by 4:00. Even after waiting 30 minutes for a cruise ship to pass through Port Everglades and back in to dock, we made it to Bahia Mar by 5:00 pm.

We got tied up and was desalting the boat when our son Mason and a fellow from the Memphis office, Rob, walked up. They were in Miami on a project and the timing worked out just right. Good to see both of them. Mason is going to stay a few days with us.

As you can see in the above photo we all need hair cuts.
I think Radar is still looking for all the Sea Spray folks.

I got an email from our friends on "Duet". They had quite an adventure going home. Here is an excerpt from that email.

We had a pretty good trip, we ran nonstop to Charleston from Hopetown. It was flat calm most of the way, very little sea. We were about 200 miles offshore, which was new for us, but not that different from being 50 miles off frankly. We were planning for Beaufort or even Norfolk but the weather started to deteriorate and rather than arrive at Beaufort in 25-30 SW at 3AM (Beaufort as you probably know, faces SW and is unjettied) we turned for Charleston. We were out for about 60 hours, about 500 miles or so, one of our longer trips and good practice for the Caribbean.We love Charleston. Unfortunately, we got stuck there for 2 weeks (about 1 week too long as we needed to get north) due to Andrea. The conditions at City Marina during the storm were interesting. We were on the outside of the mega dock, at the very end, since we were leaving any time *smile*. During the height of the storm we had a 3 foot swell coming straight up the river, although it didn't blow much over 25. We bounced so much we chaffed right through a 3/4 braided dockline. The entire marina was undulating up and down, even on the inside. Fortunately, it only lasted 24 hours.The rest of the trip was pretty uneventful. We went outside around Cape Fear, not bad, 4 footers off the stern most of the way, and into Beaufort. ICW from there. Every time we go in the ICW we swear we will never do so again, and this trip was no different *smile*. Going south in the fall we are hoping to go around Hatteras into Beaufort.

Good to hear they are home and safe. Hope to run into them again next year.

Happy days

Blowin when we got here... Blowin when we leave

2007-06-03T07:46:00.001-04:00

The effects of Tropical Storm Barry.

Winds were 30 to 40 and seas were 8 to 10 with some higher.

We are happy to be tied up at a marina.We walked out to Settlement Point to watch a fellow bring a Sport Fish boat through Indian cay channel.

Man... he got his hat handed to him... but he made it in OK

Later a fellow in a 32' sailboat called out on the radio asking for help getting into the marina channel. A tow?

No one answered...

You can't tell by these photos but the rollers into the marina channel were 6 to 8 and breaking. no one was going out there. Finally a captain from a boat here at the marina talked the guy into anchoring just onto the Bahama Bank behind a shoal. The sailboater would have never made the cut and and ended up on the rocks. He later called back to say he was safely anchored at Barracuda Shoal. That it was very rough but they were safe. Good decision.

This poor guy had his new wife onboard and they had been sailing through this stuff for two days. Great way to start a marriage. If she sticks with him through this... he better hold on to her.

Today will be the last day for us in the Bahamas. We have been tucked away at Old Bahama Bay for a few days and we are ready to get back home to the USA.
This trip has been like climbing a mountain... working like hell to get here, fighting the wind all the way, only to get to the peak, have a big time, and start working our way back down.
It has been worth every minute and every mile. Now it's time to head for home. We are sure this will be a trip also.

Happy days

Nice Pics

2007-06-01T17:28:00.000-04:00

Our friends from Biloxi sent us these.

More art from the hurricane damaged treesBobby took this one on Cat Island just last week. Nice shot.

Too pretty not to post.

Ruh Ro!! Redux

2007-06-01T16:57:00.000-04:00

Here we go again.

Glad we aren't crossing the Gulf today.

Runnin from the wind... into the wind

2007-06-01T08:32:00.000-04:00

Spanish Cay was a much more enjoyable experience than before. The power worked, the wind was out of the east, and we actually walked around the island. The beaches are deserted and out on the flats you could see schools of Bonefish. I wish I would have taken my camera because we walked through a forest of overturned trees that were bleached out. Kinda like a horizontal silver forest. Picture the silver trees back lit by the white sand beach contrasted by the turquoise waters. That would have been the picture.
Left Spanish yesterday with a following sea. A nice run.
As we were passing Mangrove Cay I heard a British fellow making a distress call to Ocean Rescue Freeport. Then he asked for a radio check so I answered him. He asked if I would relay a call to Ocean Rescue. I tried but got no response. He told me he had a battery explosion and asked for my help. I asked if he was in danger and he replied no. I then asked if he was a sailboat and he replied, "yes, I am the black pirate ship anchored in the lee of Mangrove".
Well we are pretty considerate folks.... but when he said Pirate ship and my radar showed no one around us at all. He may as well have told us he was the guy with the TB super bug. Not gonna do it. Wouldn't be prudent. He was a sailboat, he could sail. So we passed by Mangrove uneventfully

Turning to port at Memory Rock. Went from 12 feet to 900 feet in 30 seconds

Went to Memory Rock and hung a hard left. Then the nice following sea we had enjoyed all day turned into a nasty port quartering sea. About an hour and a half later we were sittin pretty at Old Bahama Bay.

All's well that ends well.

I told the folks at OBB about the Pirate boat in distress and asked if they could get in touch with Ocean Rescue Freeport. They just looked at me funny and nodded. Whatever that meant.

Looks like we will be here till Monday. Just noticed on my weather system there is a Tropical Depression down on the Yucatan Peninsula. Hope it stays there.

Happy days

The Sea Spray Clan

2007-05-30T17:43:00.000-04:00

What a great bunch of folks. What a great time we all had. Sea Spray and the crew rock!
When we were leaving the dock they all walked down to see us off. How nice. We think they will all miss Radar and Sadie the most. They kinda became everyone's surrogate dogs.
If you cruise the Abacos... you owe it to yourself to spend a few days here.
Click here to learn more about this bunch then click slideshow for the whole story.
Happy days

OK not the big run

2007-05-30T15:35:00.001-04:00

Woke up this morning and read my weather report from Chris Parker then we decided to not make the full gallop for the states. So now we are tied up at Spanish Cay. It was a bouncy run around Whale Cay... not at all like the last one... But it wasn't too bad. All of 40 miles.

Dave and Shirlee, the crew of Island Girl, emailed us to say they were probably flying home. Just too much wind and no fishing. They are a fun couple we spent time with while at Sea Spray. From Key Largo so we will probably see them when we pass through the Keys.

Tomorrow we will run hard for West End and Old Bahama Bay.

Going to run for it.

2007-05-29T20:32:00.000-04:00

We maybe out of Internet for a couple of days. We think the weather is turning again so we are going to make an effort to get back to the land of free water and cell phones.
We will be back online when we can. Then we will finish the Sea Spray story.
Adios for now.

Last day at Sea Spray

2007-05-29T11:47:00.000-04:00

As I said earlier, leaving Sea Spray is going to be a sad day. It was.

This is our buddy Charlie. He is without a doubt the best boat neighbor one could have. He looks after everyone on the dock. Worried about the dogs... checked on all of us the morning after a night of too much fun... let Mel bum the occasional cigarette. Truly a sweet, sweet guy. We will miss him most of all.
Charlie, we hope for you nothing but good things and most of all we hope to see you again at Sea Spray next year.

The next few post will be pics and stories of the Sea Spray clan. They made the good days better and the bad days good. How lucky we were to have made all of their acquaintances.
Sometimes not so Happy days....

Today we are back at Harbour View Marina in Marsh Harbour. It's good to see Troy and the boys again.

Hope Town Cottage

2007-05-29T11:36:00.000-04:00

This is a newer cottage in Hope Town but they built it in the traditional styling of old Hope Town.

Pretty place.

Pretty things around Hope Town

2007-05-29T09:22:00.000-04:00

Nice pic in Hope Town harbor

Pokin around Hope Town

2007-05-29T08:38:00.000-04:00

Monument on the hill overlooking the Atlantic and Elbow Cay Reef.

A better day

2007-05-28T12:47:00.001-04:00

We finally quit whining and loaded up Radar and dinked into Hope Town.
Wanted to go to Captain Jack's but they refused to serve Radar. Told us to tie him to a pole outside the restaurant. Puppy discrimination. Call the ASPCA... or maybe the BSPCA.
So we went to Harbor's Edge which is Dog friendly and had lunch.
The folks above were having quite a time. We think they helped us come out of our funk.

Saw this little guy while we were there. We thought he was just another pampered pet until his human told us he was 18 years old. That's 126 in human years. He deserves to be carted around.

So now the winds are starting to subside a bit and our mindset is in a better place now.

Thinking about leaving Sea Spray today and Heading to Marsh... then maybe over to Guana for a day or two before working back home.

Happy days.... again

Rock Fever

2007-05-26T10:52:00.000-04:00

Woke up this morning thinkin about when we were going to leave and start heading back home and it finally hit me. Yeah the wind is blowin like stink, We can't go out in the dink and play, but we are in a beautiful place. We now have a bad case of Rock Fever. We need to get over it and look on the bright side. So while Melonie was sleeping in I walked over the dune and watched the early morning sun paint the ocean side.
A good friend of mind who lived on Saint Thomas for a few years told me about this Rock Fever thing. He said it usually starts with bad weather that won't allow you to do anything outdoors. Then that is compounded by boredom which is followed by excessive drinking and eating. Then Bang! It hits you. Rock Fever.
According to my friend, the only cure is to look for the good in the bad and

go out and brave the elements. Of course after a few good days of good weather you forget the whole thing.

So my walk on the beach was a good thing. Because the wind is so high I was completely alone which allowed me to pick up a lot of shells and glass. (lookin for the good in the bad)

It was a really nice walk even though I had to stop and remove the salt from my glasses every 5 minutes. But I do feel better so who knows maybe we will brave the Sea of Abaco and head over to Tahiti beach and then to Cracker P's today.

Here's hoping for...

Happy days

Another day, another blow

2007-05-25T14:18:00.000-04:00

This picture has nothing to do with anything.

Just an old dead palm frond on the shore next to the dingy dock in Hope Town.

Well the wind is still prevailing here in the Abacos and no one is moving anywhere. Our friends Pam and Bernie became so tired of it they left their boat and flew back home for a few days.
It's really strange how a constant 20kts of wind will finally drive you into the boat and make you stay there. You look out... it is a beautiful sunny day... then you step out and whoosh... you're quickly reminded and you go back inside the boat.
The big fishing tournament that is going on this week is a flop. Most of the fish guys are staying at the dock.
So we are reading a lot, watching movies, and I finished the first season of 24.

Happy days

Still chunky

2007-05-23T11:17:00.000-04:00

And it looks like it's getting worse... Could someone send me a mailbox to Sea Spray? We may never leave here.

The Gorge on the Tennessee

2007-05-23T10:20:00.000-04:00

The photo uploads are running very slow for some reason so I am just going to link to them on another site.

This photo is of the Gorge on the Tennessee. This runs for about 30 miles just south of Chattanooga, TN. It's one of the prettier parts of the River. But after you leave Chattanooga the river gets even more beautiful. On the Watts Bar section you will be reminded of the Pacific Northwest. Especially on a grey foggy day. There are uninhabited islands with deep anchorages inside of them that are so quiet you would never know you are only a few miles from the city.

For more photos of our cruise on the Tennessee click here.

River cruise from last fall

2007-05-23T09:27:00.000-04:00

Well it looks like Blogspot fixed the photo upload problem.

The Tennessee River is an absolutely beautiful river. Especially in the fall.

For years it was almost unheard of for cruisers from other parts of the country and the world to take the time to cruise the Tennessee. But all that has changed. The folks who do the Great Loop have decided to make it a part of the Loop. They have an official organization, The American Great Loop Association that has a rendezvous every year that brings in hundreds of cruisers to the Tennessee.

The river is nice and deep for just about it's whole length (which is 750 miles) and is very well marked. A nice marina is always close and usually will have a good restaurant. Slip fees will average 75 cents a foot with power and water.

This photo is Istaboa tied up at Joe Wheeler state park in Florence, Alabama. A nice, clean, and very well protected marina.

We do a fall river cruise every year.

Hunkered down

2007-05-22T09:43:00.000-04:00

For some reason we are still having problems posting photos. Not quite sure what the problem is but we will post the shots of the Tennessee River cruising area soon.

So in the meantime... what a nice time we had yesterday. Everyone here is in the same boat so to speak. Too windy for the fishing folks to fish. Too rough for us cruisers to cruise. But we are making the most out of a not so pleasant situation.

Dave (Island Girl) and I took his Albury Brothers 20' over to Marsh Harbour for supplies. What a trip that was. What a sweet boat that Albury is. They have been handmade by the Albury family here in the Abacos for years and man they handle a rough day on the Sea of Abaco with ease. Very soft and dry on this very chunky day.

Then as the day was winding down Kevin, who is the mate on Stinger, seared their surplus Yellowfin Tuna with a teriyaki glaze and a wasabi sauce and was generous enough to share with the folks on the dock. Not bad chow for a boat dock happy hour. Fresh Ahi Tuna! Just caught!

Dave was kind enough to invite folks without Directv over to his boat to watch the season finale of 24. Boy did he have a boat full. The rest of us swapped DVDs and VHF tapes. We are all preparing for a long week of wind. (David Cole if you read this... We are really enjoying the first 2 seasons of 24. That's why we didn't join the others for the season finale.)

All the dock dogs had fun too. They were all allowed to snoop around unleashed and play freely. Bet they got their fair share of Tuna also.

So life is still good here... much better than a day behind the desk. But we are ready to move when the opportunity arises.

Happy days

Seagull's view of Sea Spray

2007-05-21T16:31:00.000-04:00

Junior gave me an ad that has a really good aerial shot of Sea Spray and Istaboa from last year.
So we scanned, cropped, and added a little to it. The quality is not so great but...
Click on the image and you will see why we like it here so much.

Problem uploading pics at this time

2007-05-21T08:13:00.000-04:00

So until that starts working--- I will just answer the question that I am sure some of you boaters are wondering about.

You have a Nordhavn... why are you worried about high seas?

Yes, we have a 57 Nordhavn... and yes, it will handle seas that are much higher than we are currently surrounded by here in the Abacos.
But we are staying in the Abacos for several reasons.
One being; why go out and get tossed around to just go from one beautiful island to another beautiful island?
Second reason is that our two dogs really don't like 6 to 8 footers. 2 to 4s, OK, even 4 to 6s but anything higher ruins their day.
Third and most importantly.... We tend to spill our cocktails in high seas.

An analogy:
We own a Land Cruiser that we drive everyday. We don't need such a capable and rugged vehicle on most days. We rarely go off-roading. But--- when the ice and snow hits we drive through with confidence. It's nice to know we have a vehicle that is capable, dependable, comfortable, and built to take us through almost anything.

So with all that said I will show Barometer Bob's forecast.

WEATHER AROUND MARSH HARBOUR***/^/*
SMALL CRAFT CAUTION REMAINS IN EFFECT^
MON NE to E winds 15-20K, seas 5-8ft, partly sunny to sunny with scattered showers and t-storms, high temp 80, low 75.
TUES NE to E winds 15-20K, seas 5-8ft, scattered clouds and plenty of sunshine, high temp 83, low 75
WED NE to E winds 20-25K, seas 7-11ft, sunny with scattered clouds, high temp 84, low 77
THUR NE to E winds 20-25K, seas 7-11ft, sunny with scattered clouds, high temp 84, low 75
FRI NE to E winds 20-25K, seas 9-13ft except 5-8ft W of Abaco, sunny with some clouds, high temp 84, low 75

So we're trying to decide if we want to wait it out so we can head further south or just head back the way we came and wait for a good day to cross the Gulfstream. (note the N direction in the winds.)

But the great part is that we have the luxury of hangin out in paradise and taking our time to decide.

Happy days

Boat dogs

2007-05-20T08:36:00.000-04:00

We have put together a collage of boat dogs pics. If you like dogs as much as we do click here to see the individual photos.

Things haven't changed much here. Still blowin like stink. We're not sure about plans yet.

But we are havin a fine time here at Sea Spray. Junior's band played last night and a good time was had by all.

Looks like rain today so this will be a good time to put together a post showing the Tennessee River. There have been a few requests for some pics of our home cruising area.

Really ready for the wind to still for a few days.

Both sides of the White Sound story

2007-05-18T09:51:00.001-04:00

As you can see it was a beautiful day here on White sound.

But... if you walked over the dune and looked at the ocean you would see why we are still here at Sea Spray. The east wind has lightened a little but the seas have not.

So we took advantage of the flat Sea of Abaco and dinked over to Marsh Harbor. It was a beautiful run. Tied up at Boat Harbor and walked into town.

While we were there we saw another Memphis boat. "Miss Pat" a beautiful 90+ foot Burger that belonged to our old neighbor from the house at Pickwick.

Also saw "Aquasition" A big Hatteras from our dock at Grand Harbor in Tennessee. Small world.

We walked over to Harbor View and said hello to Troy and Ronnie. We may head back there for a couple of days to restock and meet up with friends on Rockin Robin.

When we got back it was like a small homecoming. Dave from "Island Girl" was there but without Shirlee. She will be back in a few days. Then later Charlie came back with gifts from Philadelphia. Hoagie sandwiches and soft pretzels. It was really nice to see everyone.

It will be sad when we leave here.

Island roots heritage festival

2007-05-16T09:40:00.000-04:00

Actually the pirates came for the Green Turtle Island Roots Heritage Festival.

As history goes:

Renowned artist Alton Lowe first organized the Island Roots Festival in Green Turtle Cay in 1978. The intent of the event, which was well received, was to establish a "Sister City" concept between historic Green Turtle Cay (New Plymouth) where the Loyalist first settled in 1784 and Key West, Florida, where many Green Turtle Cay residents relocated in the ensuing 150 years. There is presently a rich Bahamian heritage celebrated in Key West, referred to commonly as the "Conch Republic" and a keen interest in forging closer ties with Green Turtle Cay, Abaco and the Bahamas. (Obviously I copped this from the net)

This is a festival held here every year.

Even more pics click here and scroll down for the posts and pics by Abacomah.

Happy days

(Thanks again to Judy Marshall and for the photos)

Pirates on Green Turtle

2007-05-16T09:09:00.000-04:00

Well... all my friends from home warned me about pirates over here in the islands. Guess they were right.
This is one scary pirate.

I wasn't there but Judy Marshall took these pictures and posted them on the Abaco Community Message Board. Check out her post (Cookie909) for the whole bloody story.
Seems like they came from Key West, pillaged Green Turtle, and had their way with the women folk.

Thanks Judy... nice pics.

Happy days

Blowin in the wind

2007-05-15T21:38:00.000-04:00

We were hunkered down in the boat today and started second guessing the forecast so we decided to take a golf cart ride up above Abaco Inn to take a look.
Well... as Dylan once wrote/ The answer my friend is blowin in the wind/ and man was it.

Drove down to the north point of Tilloo cut to take a look and saw not a boat on the horizon whatsoever. Rough day.

I forgot to mention our friends on "Top Notch" caught and released two Blue Marlin yesterday. They were very pumped when they came back to the marina to say the least.

Congratulations to Pat and the boys on Top Notch.

Looks like we're stayin put

2007-05-14T10:18:00.000-04:00

These northern fronts seem to keep coming down and building up the seas. Might get rain tomorrow. The boat needs a bath.

So it looks like we are stayin in the Abacos for a while longer. Things could be worse I suppose.

Maybe toward the end of the week we can start heading south to wherever.

Our friends Dave and Squirlee Shirlee flew back home for a few days so the dock will be a little less fun till they return.

We tried to take Pam's and Bernie's boat out for sea trial after their repairs but bad luck follows bad luck.

As Bernie was backing out of his slip he backed over a small boat's stern anchor line (Which was where it shouldn't have been) and wrapped it around his props. We are hoping Brown Tip, the local diver, can go down and get it straightened out and we can finish the sea trial.

Bernie and Pam have decided to go south with us if they can get their boat fixed.

That's about all for us right now. Stuck in paradise again.

Happy days

It's Mother's day!

2007-05-13T10:36:00.000-04:00

Happy Mother's day

To all you mothers out there.

Especially ours

Fresh fish tonight

2007-05-12T09:21:00.000-04:00

Pat and the crew of Top Notch had a pretty good day of fishing and they were kind enough share their catch with us non fishheads on the dock. We have plenty of Dolphin (Mahi Mahi) now.
That's one of the nice thing about Sea Spray during the early summer. Lots of Sport Fishermen and they are happy to share their catch. Always fresh fish.

We haven't done any sunsets for a while. Not much of a westerly view at Sea Spray.... but this one came out pretty good. You'll notice how the sand breakwater on the lower part of the picture seems to glow a light blue. You should see it on a full moon night. The phosphorus in the sand lights the whole place up and Sea Spray is surrounded by the stuff. It's incredible.

Happy days

Sad day

2007-05-11T09:12:00.000-04:00

Our good friend and boat neighbor, Charlie, had to leave the island suddenly a couple of days ago. His mother had become very ill.
We just received the news she has passed away.

We are very sorry for your loss Charlie.

We miss you and hope to see you soon.

Wind and waves

2007-05-09T08:51:00.000-04:00

Yesterday it was blowin pretty good so we decided to walk over the dune at high tide to see the show.
Big waves--- probably 12 to 15 footers---But where are the surfers?
But the seas brought in lots of sea glass,
According to the net... things are starting to get better.

Ruh Ro!!

2007-05-07T16:55:00.000-04:00

This should make things interesting... Click here

Biloxi Katrina art.

2007-05-07T09:45:00.000-04:00

Two old friends, Bob and Gail, from our old marina at Pickwick Dam sent us these pictures. The photos have nothing to do with the Abacos but being like minded folks we thought you all would find them interesting as many of you can relate.

Four live oak trees in the median of U.S. Highway 90 Biloxi that died as a result of hurricane Katrina received new life at the hands of a skilled chain saw artist.

Art from catastrophe

Bob and Gail retired a few years ago, left Pickwick, relocated to Biloxi, and moved onboard their sailboat "Pickin Daisey's". They and their boat survived Katrina but I think they had to have Pickin Daisey's plucked out of the woods. More pics here.

Thanks for the email guys. Hope we can get together soon.

Speaking of wind... It's back and blowin today.

According to Barometer Bob:

WEATHER AROUND MARSH HARBOUR***/^/*
SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY IS IN EFFECT^...SWIMMERS ARE CAUTIONED OF DANGEROUS HIGH SEAS
MON Briefly starting out with NE winds 20-25K this morning, backing to NW winds late increasing to 20-30K with occasional gust to GALE FORCE, seas 12-18ft in NE swells (note: C. Parker calling for up to 20-30ft tonight--no kidding--should be a good show from shore) chance of showers and t-storms, high temp 80, low 70
TUES SW winds diminishing to 15-20K, seas 8-15-20ft primarily in NW swells over the open ocean, scattered t-storms, high temp 80, low 71

All that red you see on the east coast is bad stuff

We are tied up tight here at Sea Spray so....

Good day to read-nap, watch a movie-nap, nap-have a cold Kalik....then another Kalik.

Hope it gets back to normal tomorrow--We're not bettin on it.

Happy days

Life is good...

2007-05-06T08:54:00.000-04:00

Thought we would show everyone how this sojourn started.

February 19th we broke ice leaving Tennessee.
28 degrees

But we knew there was a better world awaiting. Warm winds, turquoise seas, and island life.

It took us about six weeks but...
Look at us now.

We really haven't done much for the last couple of days. We have finally achieved the real island state of mind. Which is a lot more laid back than tourist mode.

Dinked into Hope Town a couple of times for groceries from Vernon's and a beer at Captain Jacks. Reading books and taking naps. A beer at lunch--take a nap. Pretty exciting stuff!

Yesterday, Junior at Seaspray put together a pool for the Kentucky Derby. 10 bucks a ticket. Our friend and boat neighbor, Charlie, won with Street Sense. $125.00 Way to go Charlie!!

Our nice Insurance guy, Tom, has given us an extra 30 days before we must trudge back to Tennessee, so we don't feel like we must jam as much fun into each day as we have since we arrived.

We don't want to rub it in friends, employees, customers, and family; we honestly wish you were here but we have to say it.

Life is really-really good

Happy days!!

One at a time.

Sea Spray Junkanoo

2007-05-04T11:54:00.000-04:00

Sea Spray is having their Billfish Tournament this week.

The folks at Sea Spry were kind enough to invite us to the big party. It was fun and the kids loved the Junkanoo band.

Sadie has become a regular at the Garbonzo Reef Bar.
Big night out with friends.

Left to right... Pam, Bernie, Melonie, Radar, and Charlie.

(Oh no! Sadie is in the background and has fallen asleep at the bar.... We must be bad influences.)

Happy days!!

Tahiti Beach

2007-05-01T17:42:00.000-04:00

So on this day we go down to Tahiti Beach to look for shells.

Tahiti Beach is a beautiful beach. Not very large at high tide but when the tide rolls out it is world class. The shells are few these days as folks have picked them over pretty good but it so nice there no one cares.

Radar certainly doesn't care if there are shells or not.
All of this reminds me of a line from an old song.

We go down to Tahiti Beach

Watchin the people look at dey feet

Dey lookin for da magic shell

if dey find it---dey never tell

Sadie stayed on the boat when we left on the dink but we decided to go back, get her, and make her come with us to the beach. We're very glad we did. She seemed to really enjoy the warm water and sand on her feet, her tail never stopped waggin. For years we have wanted to see her running on Tahiti Beach. She is almost the same color. She doesn't run much anymore but it was really good to see her there just the same. Such a sweet, sweet girl. More pics here

And then there's Radar, our crazy little Cuban Havanese, who seems to become demonically possessed when he hits the beach.

But what a fun little guy he is. He makes us laugh daily.

Happy days!!

Sandy Cay

2007-05-01T08:32:00.000-04:00

Plans were made with new friends (Bernie and Pam) to dink down to Sandy Cay for some snorkeling.
Sandy Cay is a Bahamian National Sea Park so it is protected from fishing or anchoring on the reef. It is a beautiful reef that is relatively shallow and perfect for snorkeling. Depths range from 3' to 20' or so. Fish, Morays, Lobster, and lots of Eagle Rays.

Melonie and the rest of the istaboa crew stayed on the boat while Pam, Bernie, and I made the run to Sandy. On this day it was a bit swelly down toward the ocean inlets that are east of Sandy and in a 11' dingy it was a little rolly. But other than getting wet we made it without incident and grabbed a mooring ball.
I guess because it was kinda rough we had the place to ourselves. Once we were in the water it was a great day for snorkeling. Slack tide and clear water.

Happy days!!
(I did take pictures at Sandy but they are on film... so I ripped these photos from the net)

Congratulations!!!!!

2007-04-28T19:28:00.000-04:00

My brother, Bill Taylor, finished the Country Music Marathon in Nashville, Tn today.

First place in his age category.

Salute!!!!

Little Harbor

2007-04-28T17:35:00.000-04:00

If you come to the Abacos you must experience Little Harbor and Pete's Pub.
I won't go into the history or details of the place but you can click on the link above and find out all there is to know about Pete and his slice of paradise at Little Harbor.

Everyone has a Pete's story which usually has something to do with drinking Blasters. If they can remember it.
Our story goes back to the late 80's or early 90's (blasters were involved so I'm not sure Karen!)
We had anchored out with our friends Karen and Dick on their boat "Beyond the Wind" in Little Harbor. In those days Pete's was kind of a cross between a biker bar, pirate's haven, and an artist's venue. Lots of very colorful characters to say the least... Pete being one of them.
I had absorbed enough Blasters to get out my guitar and was doing my old folk singer gig. (which I still remembered in those days)
You'll have to use your imagination to appreciate the rest of the story.
The sun was already in the Sea of Abaco and giving off a nice warm light when I notice two sailboats ghost into the harbor. I'm singin an old John Prine tune as I eye the silhouette of three or four dingies full of folks coming off the sailboats and rowing toward shore. I'm thinkin... Great! Bigger party! The dingies land and still with the light in my eyes I see a figure walking toward the bar then a kid appears and asks the bartender in a nasally prepubescent little voice, "Excuse me sir. Do you sell fruit juice?". The whole place erupts in laughter and scares the poor kid to death. That's when we all look around and realize we have been invaded by Boy Scouts. Must have been 30 of them and they were staking out tents to camp out all night.
Well... Even though we were all pirates, sailors, and general nairdowells we didn't want to corrupt the youth of America with our brand of having fun. So we loaded up our dingies and headed back out to our boats to continue on with our mild form of debauchery.
Could have been a great night but turned into a funny story instead.

You would have never seen this sign in the old days.

Pete's has changed a lot since those days. Much more family friendly now and honestly... the food is way better. But gone is the 151 rum in the Blasters and the characters have lost their color.

Pete has a way of positioning things around that creates the ambiance of a shipwrecked pirate's lair/artist's loft. The flotsam and jetsam is either strategically placed or naturally slung around by the last hurricane but however it gets there it works nicely.
More Little Harbor pics here.

Happy days!!

Dinkin down to Pete's

2007-04-28T12:18:00.000-04:00

This day was perfect. Just enough wind to keep us cool but not too much to make anything more that a ripple on the Sea of Abaco. On the way down to Pete's Pub we stopped at a few remote beaches so Mel could do a little shelling.
This beach held a lot of shells. Mel is the sheller not me. I take odd pictures of little things that make people say, "what was he thinkin". But if you look at the photos maybe you can see what I do. Or maybe not. I did grow up in the 60's Some have asked why we don't have more pics of people. The way we see it is if you don't know the folks in the photos what fun is that. And we are sure you're all tired of seeing us all the time.
Maybe more dogs would be good.
Oh well... On to Pete's Pub

Inside looking out

2007-04-27T09:41:00.000-04:00

Looking through an opening of the lighthouse.

Entrance to Hope Town Harbor and the Sea of Abaco

Hope Town Harbor... A bird's eye view
The channel into Hope Town Harbor.

Mel with the Sea of Abaco in the background.

Just one of the many good anchorages out from Elbow Cay.

Today the wind is perfect so who knows what we will get into.

Happy Days!!

Hope Town Lighthouse and harbor

2007-04-27T09:22:00.000-04:00

Hope Town Lighthouse

It's a beautiful old lighthouse. Built in 1863 much to the dismay of the local islanders who were wreckers by trade. If you want to know more click the link above. It is very interesting.

View of the inside of the lighthouse

Dingy night

2007-04-26T15:53:00.000-04:00

We dinked over to the Abaco Inn last night for dinner with our friends Ron and Nancy from Duet. Dinner was great, company was better... Rack of Lamb, good wine, and lobster. After dinner Ron and Nancy left for their boat, we walked down to the dock only to discover our dingy was missing.
There was a fellow on the dock named David who was talking on a handheld radio. He walked over and asked if we had lost a dingy. Of course we said yes and how did he know. He gave us some vague story about a drunk guy and our dingy that we still do not understand. But the bottom line was our dink was gone and some drunk guy took it. David was talking to BASRA (Bahamian Coast Guard) on the radio and I overheard stuff like bleeding badly, Tahiti beach, and we're trying to get him back on the boat. We obviously thought the worst. But after about an hour BASRA delivered our dink back to us. It was unharmed except for being rather bloody and about half tank of fuel gone. So all's well that ends well I guess.
We still don't know exactly what happened but will investigate when David (Abaco Inn Manager) returns tomorrow. He was definiately withholding some information for some reason.
Note to self... Never leave the keys in your dingy... not even in the Abacos.

Dingy day

2007-04-26T10:50:00.000-04:00

The winds died down a little yesterday so we decided to take the dink out and explore a little. We went down past TillooCay and onto Tilloo bank. There were bright red Starfish everywhere dotting the shallow turquoise waters which made for a beautiful visual but not much of a photograph. Somethings are better to imagine or remember I suppose.

If I ever win the lottery.

We have seen this place for years and always loved it. It is now for sale.

I think I saw 6.5 million... Mel says she saw 8.5 million

Really doesn't matter does it.

Coral bones.... Beach rocks

2007-04-24T11:16:00.000-04:00

While the little guy was going crazy we noticed these small fields of dead coral that have been washed up on the beach. We thought they made for some nice closeups. So we did a few.

For a few more click here

Happy days!!

Beach Dog

2007-04-24T10:06:00.000-04:00

We braved the winds, carted up to the top of the dune, and took a walk on the beach.

The Atlantic side of White Sound.

It was near high tide and not much beach out but the breaking waves were great.

Radar loves the beach but he knows that if he gets wet he will get a bath when we're back on the boat.

He's smart that way and most times he doesn't go for the water unless we throw a stick.

But he loves to run and chase birds. He truly goes nuts on the beach.

As you can see...

But this day he could no longer resist the urge to jump in and finally does.

So it's bath time.

Mad dog on the beach

Elbow Cay sunrise

2007-04-22T14:43:00.000-04:00

Woke up early this morning to this sunrise. Beautiful.
Thinkin about Chicken Souse for some reason....
Happy days!!

Sea Spray Saturday Night

2007-04-22T14:12:00.000-04:00

Turns out Junior (the Harbor Master) is a drummer... and a good one. This is his band "The Islanders" . Chad is the singer, Rodney is the bass player, and they have two quitar players but we didn't meet them.
They are not just another island band. They play all types of music and they do it well.
We still like their Reggae stuff best. But the crowd likes the Buffett tunes.
Like we need to be reminded "It's five o'clock somewhere" and I "blew out my flip flop"
Oh well... it was a really fun night. It was cool out so Sadie joined us and she was the Belle of the ball. Everybody had to pet Sadie.
Our friends on "Rockin Robin" were there. We have ran into them ever since West End.

Radar lunch

2007-04-22T13:58:00.000-04:00

Radar takes us to lunch in Hopetown.
He has become quite a little celebrity here on Elbow Cay. As we walk into Harbor's Edge for lunch we overhear people whisper his name. Some folks even asked to take his picture.

It's hard out here for a pup!

He is a good little guy in a restaurant. Just give him a french fry ever so often and he stays still.

On the way back to Seaspray we stopped at On Da Beach and had a Margarita. (Not Radar, he just had ice... He likes to fight when he drinks Tequila)

On Da Beach is a cool little bar, which of course is on the beach. They have a Sunday Special that they claim is the cure for the common hangover.

Chicken Souse

Happy days!!

Hope Town Harbor

2007-04-21T10:14:00.000-04:00

When we dinked into Hope Town Harbor we followed our freinds on "City Slickers" through the channel. Once we were inside we also saw that our friends Ron and Nancy on "Duet" were moored there.

This is nice shot of their boat.

Elbow Cay

2007-04-21T09:26:00.000-04:00

We rented a golf cart yesterday and rode around the island for a while.

We wanted to go to Tahiti Beach and let Radar run around but it was very crowded. Wasn't low tide yet so not much beach out anyway.

We carted over to the Abaco Inn and saw how flat the seas were. So we opted to take advantage of a good day on the water.
We went back to the boat, hopped in the dingy, and went to Cracker P's for lunch.
It was such a nice day out that we ran across the Sea of Abaco to Hope Town. We did the usual things. Went to Capt. Jacks for a cold Kalik, Vernon's Grocery to pick up some of his famous pie and homemade bread, and saw a few of our cruising friends from Marsh Harbour.

We dinked back home then later carted back to Hope Town for dinner at Harbours Edge.
Rack of Lamb! mmmmm (you were right Jim)

Happy days!!

Fireworks over White Sound

2007-04-19T21:04:00.000-04:00

Don't know who was responsible for the fireworks but we really did appreciate the show. It was fantastic!!
As we were kicking back and watching TV we heard some loud bangs then looked out the window to see this.
If you want to see more pics you can click here . They came out really weird because of the lens I was using. I think they are very interesting.

(I later found out they were part of a wedding celebration at the Abaco Inn)

Happy Birthday Karen

2007-04-19T12:06:00.000-04:00

Melonie and Radar on the hill overlooking the Garbonzo Reef.
The Sea Oats have really made a comeback since we were here last. Amazing what a year without a hurricane can do for the vegetation.

Garbonzo Reef

2007-04-19T11:49:00.000-04:00

We made it to SeaSpray yesterday. Elbow Cay ,our favorite cay, has a whole different feel than Green Turtle or Marsh Harbour. It's very quiet and at night you can hear the ocean roaring. There are few cars. Most folks ride around on bikes or golf carts.
The dogs have two nice beaches within walking distance to run around on. One on the ocean and one on the Sea of Abaco. Both are beautiful.
We have been here many times and We always love it.

We walked over to Garbonzo Reef this morning and watched this fellow surfing. I am told it's one of the best places to surf in this part of the world.
Quite famous amongst the surfer types.
.
.
.
.
.
.

Wipeout!!

(Great lens Ole)

Puppy party

2007-04-19T11:43:00.000-04:00

Radar and Sadie invited a guest over this morning. A local Potcake pup came over and played a while. Very sweet girl.

One last Marsh Harbour sunset

2007-04-18T18:17:00.000-04:00

Just couldn't resist.

On to Elbow Cay

Last night in Marsh Harbour

2007-04-18T18:05:00.000-04:00

We had a nice time with the folks on the dock last night. We played Abaco Trivia. Which sounds kinda corny but it turned out to be fun. John from "Slainte" put together all the questions and answers. Entry fee was a bottle of beer per person or a bottle of wine for a couple. The winning team picked a bottle each of whatever they wanted as a prize. We won a bottle of Kalik... We didn't win.

It was fun hangin out with everyone and making new friends. That's one of the nice things this lifestyle offers. We will see some of these folks many times while we are cruising around. We sat with a couple we met in Key West 3 years ago. Skip and Terry onboard "Sea Eagle"

Happy days!!

Fellow Arkies

2007-04-18T17:43:00.000-04:00

This is Jordan. He belongs to a couple from Marianna, Arkansas. Dodd and Becca Dagget. Not many of us folks from Arkansas are out cruising around in these waters. They live about 10 miles from my hometown

We first met the Daggets about 4 years ago. It was their first cruise. Since then they have become very salty.

Our neighbors at Harbour View

2007-04-18T17:07:00.000-04:00

We say goodbye to our neighbors Jim, Judy, and their guests.
They are the owners of a beautiful sailing catamaran name "Valiant Lady".

Obviously I have some time on my hands

2007-04-16T15:47:00.000-04:00

The wind is still howling which has kept us in the boat today.

But it did give me a chance to Google Earth a map. Someone asked for it a while back and we do aim to please. Hmmmm.

Blow the man down

2007-04-16T09:47:00.000-04:00

Blowin, Blowin, Blowin!!!

Front came through last night and man was it blowing. I heard on the net this morning someone at Guana Cay clocked over 70 knots of wind at some point.

We stayed up till the brunt of it went through which was about 11:30 eastern. Then went to bed hoping we would not be awakened during the night by the sound of a sailboat bangin against our hull. Nothing has happened so far but it's still gusting 25 to 30 and mashing our beam up against dock.

But there is this one old abandoned sailboat at anchor that is worrying the crap out of me. His stern seems to be inching closer all the time.

Oh well, it wouldn't be the Abacos without a blow.

Happy days!! (we hope)

(Thanks to Knotty Dog for the pic on the right)

Maggie of Duet

2007-04-15T15:48:00.000-04:00

Looking very regal and protective, Maggie lies on the bow of Duet and catches a few rays.

We went to happy hour on Lee Ann's and Mark's boat "City Slickers" and had a really nice time. Pretty much the whole dock was there and a good time was had by all.

It's a very nice dock we're on. After the party was over some sportfish guys gave us a couple of pounds of fresh Tuna.
Happy days!!